Gentle Arms of Eden.
Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution
“Seen in the light of evolution, biology is, perhaps, intellectually the most satisfying and inspiring science. Without that light, it becomes a pile of sundry facts some of them interesting or curious, but making no meaningful picture as a whole.”
(Arendt, Tosches, & Marlow, 2016)
(Hofman, 2014)
| Structural measure | Non-human comparison | Human |
|---|---|---|
| Cortical gray matter %/tot brain vol | insectivores 25% | 50% |
| Cortical gray + white | mice 40% | 80% |
| Cerebellar mass | primates, mammals 10-15% | 10-15% |
Take homes
Old story
vs. New story
# of cortical (or in birds, pallidum) neurons predicts “cognition”?
The Human Advantage (Herculano-Houzel, 2016)
A further human advantage
Zika and microcephaly
Axons follow
Differential gene expression in PFC vs. other
Age-related profiles in connectivity among “control networks.”
Age-related profiles in connectivity among “non-control networks.”
Sampling in Shaw et al 2008 study
Illustrations of cubic, quadratic, and linear changes in cortical thickness.
Illustrations of cubic, quadratic, and linear changes in cortical thickness from Shaw et al. 2008.
Illustrations of cubic, quadratic, and linear changes in medial frontal lobe cortical thickness from Shaw et al. 2008.
| Major division | Ventricular Landmark | Embryonic Division | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forebrain | Lateral | Telencephalon | Cerebral cortex |
| Basal ganglia | |||
| Hippocampus, amygdala | |||
| Third | Diencephalon | Thalamus | |
| Hypothalamus | |||
| Midbrain | Cerebral Aqueduct | Mesencephalon | Tectum, tegmentum |
| Hindbrain | 4th | Metencephalon | Cerebellum, pons |
| – | Mylencephalon | Medulla oblongata |
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Herculano-Houzel, S. (2016). The human advantage: A new understanding of how our brain became remarkable. MIT Press. Retrieved from https://market.android.com/details?id=book-DMqpCwAAQBAJ
Herculano-Houzel, S. (2017). Numbers of neurons as biological correlates of cognitive capability. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 16(Supplement C), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.02.004
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Irimia, A., & Van Horn, J. (2014). Systematic network lesioning reveals the core white matter scaffold of the human brain. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 51. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00051
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